


where the heart is

by thisissirius



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort, Illness, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 22:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10202315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisissirius/pseuds/thisissirius
Summary: There’s coughing from the kitchen, and Aaron grunts, follows the sound.“Rob?” He asks, scratching at his chest. He turns the corner, and freezes. Robert’s sitting, back to the sink, clutching his chest. His face is pale, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Aaron rushes forward, drops into a crouch. “Hey, what’s wrong?”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hissingmiseries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hissingmiseries/gifts).



> written for ellie's birthday because she deserves all the good things. 
> 
> this should have been a million times better, but i hope you like it anyway!!!

Aaron’s woken up mid-dream by Robert coughing.

It’s a harsh, vicious thing that has Aaron jerking awake at the sound, the kick of Robert’s leg against his shin. Robert’s face is scrunched up in pain, but he’s still asleep.

Sleeping with someone else is an adjustment, Aaron thinks, shuffling deeper under the duvet, sliding back until Robert’s pressed against his back. Instinctively, Robert’s hand rests against Aaron’s hip. Aaron closes his eyes, lets out a slow breath, and falls back asleep almost immediately.

A couple of hours later and Robert’s coughing again, this time enough that he wakes himself up too. Aaron’s phone is blinking _4:00_ and he groans, buries his face in his pillow.

“Get a drink,” he moans, trying to get back to sleep.

“Alright,” Robert grouses, pressing a kiss to the top of Aaron’s head, and Aaron forgives him.

He’s drifting in that _not quite asleep_ phase when he realises Robert’s not come back. The Mill is cold, the heating not due to come on for another hour, and a shiver races up Aaron’s back as he kicks off the duvet. There’s a hoodie on the floor and he shrugs it on, shuffling down the stairs.

There’s coughing from the kitchen, and Aaron grunts, follows the sound.

Light’s starting to spill through the curtains, the hardwood floor warm under Aaron’s feet as he passes through to the kitchen.

“Rob?” He asks, scratching at his chest. He turns the corner, and freezes. Robert’s sitting, back to the sink, clutching his chest. His face is pale, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Aaron rushes forward, drops into a crouch. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Robert coughs again, a harsh, dry sound that wracks his whole body. “Hurts,” Robert says, sounding as bad as he looks.

“Did you drink?” Aaron asks, brushing back Robert’s hair from his forehead. The skin is burning under his hands and he feels panic blossom in his chest. “You’re hot.”

Robert’s hands are shaking as he curls them in Aaron’s hoodie. “Breathing hurts,” he says, forehead dropping to rest against Aaron’s chest.

“Alright,” Aaron says, mostly to himself, rests his fingers on the back of Robert’s head. He swallows, gets a handle on the worry gnawing at him. “I need to get the phone.”

“M’fine,” Robert starts, breaking off to cough again.

Aaron tugs him up, brushes a thumb against his cheek. Robert’s eyes are mostly closed, his skin still clammy and hot. He turns to the kitchen door, yells, “LIV!”

Robert’s breathing sounds harsh, and Aaron knows he has to get him off the kitchen floor. However hot Robert is, sitting on the cold tiles can’t be doing him any good.

“Think you can stand up?” He asks, stroking his fingers through Robert’s hair. “Robert?”

“Yeah,” Robert says, though he makes no move to get up.

Liv shuffles into the kitchen, still mostly asleep, rubbing at her eye. “What’s going on?”

“Robert’s sick,” Aaron says, trying to manoeuvre Robert onto his feet. “Can you clear off the sofa?”

Liv scowls, but drags her eyes over Robert and immediately nods, turning on her heel and heading back into the living room.

“Come on,” Aaron tells Robert gently, one arm around his back, the other on his stomach. Robert moves with him, heavy and mostly useless, shivers running through his body. “Let’s get you on the sofa.”

Liv’s tossing magazines and the remotes onto the coffee table, cushions already shoved up one end. “Is he gonna be alright?”

“’Course,” Aaron says, even though he has no idea what’s wrong.

Coughing, Robert’s hand scratches at his chest. It’s a move Aaron’s noticed before; he does it without thinking, when his chest hurts, or when he’s actively _not_ thinking about his shooting. Liv comes around Robert’s other side, and between them they manage to get him down on the sofa.

Almost immediately, Robert curls up on himself.

“What do we do?” Liv asks. Her eyes are wide, panicked, and Aaron dips his head, looks her in the eye.

“Hey,” he says, squeezing her shoulder gently. “He’ll be alright. We’ll call Emma, alright?”

He’s aware that it’s a ridiculous time of the morning, but she’s the only person he can think of that could help. His mum would come if he called, but she’d just tell him to call the hospital.

“She’ll be asleep,” Liv says, eyes on Robert.

Aaron doesn’t answer, reaches for the phone. Pete’s driving the night shift, and Aaron puts the call through to his mobile.

“Barton’s Taxis,” Pete says, sounding far more chipper than Aaron feels.

“Pete,” Aaron starts, sounding awkward. “It’s Aaron.”

“Alright mate?”

“Could you do me a favour?”

 

 

 

 

 

“Pneumonia,” Emma tells him, looking serious.

“But he hasn’t been anywhere,” Aaron protests. “It’s the summer.”

“It doesn’t have to be cold,” Emma explains slowly. “It could be a virus. Due to his previous complications,” she says, and Aaron thinks _bullet tearing through a lung_ and shakes his head, “he could have easily picked it up that way.”

Aaron looks over his shoulder. Liv’s curled up on the end of the couch, one hand occupied with her phone, the other curled around Robert’s leg. Robert’s still shivering, head pillowed on his arms, and Aaron feels the familiar clench of worry. “Is he going to be okay?”

“With plenty of rest and fluids, yes.”

Nodding, Aaron feels like he can breathe. “Thanks for coming. I know it’s early.”

“It’s no problem. I’m glad you called me,” Emma tells him, a small smile on her face. “I’ll get the doctor to prescribe some antibiotics and have one of the boys drop them off later today.”

“Brilliant.” Aaron walks with her to the door, squeezing Liv’s shoulder as they pass. “Thanks for coming.”

Emma nods, promises to come back later that day to check up on Aaron, and Aaron shuts the door, rests against the wall for a while. The panic of the last few hours disappears, leaving him exhausted.

“Aaron?”

It’s Liv’s voice, but there’s no panic, so Aaron pushes off the wall, gives himself a second to compose himself. “What?”

“Robert says he’s cold.”

The thing about Robert, Aaron’s learned, is that he’s a terrible patient. Unless, he thinks wryly, it’s something serious.

“Can you run up and grab our duvet?” Aaron asks, crouching down in front of the sofa. Robert still looks awful, pale and warm to the touch, but his shivering hasn’t stopped any. Liv climbs off of the sofa, rushes out of the room and Aaron hears her stomp up the stairs. “Hey.”

Robert croaks out a, “Hey,” and pushes up into the hand Aaron’s brushes through his hair. “M’alright.”

“Sure,” Aaron agrees, affably. “Just a small bought of pneumonia.”

“Got work,” Robert says, groaning as he shifts, trying to sit up.

Aaron snorts, puts a hand on Robert’s legs to stop him. “Nice try,” he says, eyes flicking to the doorway as Liv clatters down the stairs, duvet bunched up in her arms. “You’re staying right here.”

“Need th’money,” Robert slurs, but he doesn’t try and move. His eyes are still mostly closed, breath evening out.

“We’ll manage,” Aaron tells him firmly, as Liv flicks out the duvet. She’s more gentle with draping it over Robert than Aaron’s expecting, and he smiles softly as she tucks it down the back of the sofa.

“Get some rest, alright?” Aaron curls his fingers around the back of Robert’s neck, waits for the nod and leans in, kissing Robert softly on the head.

Liv’s hovering awkwardly at the end of the sofa and Aaron stretches, knees clicking in protest at being abused over the last couple of hours.

“Hey, come here,” he says, pulling her into a hug. “He’ll be okay.”

“He looks really bad.” Liv pulls back, looking up. “People die from pneumonia.”

Aaron tugs her away from Robert, into the kitchen. “He’s not going to die, Liv. Emma’s bringing antibiotics and he’ll be right as rain in no time.”

Liv searches his face, looking for a lie, and he holds her gaze.

The panic of the morning has waned, and he aches for his bed. Instead, he rolls his eyes towards the ceiling. “Why don’t you get your duvet, and my phone from upstairs, eh, and we’ll make it a movie day.”

Liv doesn’t wait for him to change his mind; she grins, dashes out of the kitchen.

Aaron leans against the skin, runs a hand over his face. He looks out to the living room, Robert’s hair sticking out above the duvet, and he smiles, feels his chest ache. This isn’t the first time one of them has been sick, but he can’t deny how afraid he was that morning, seeing Robert on the kitchen floor.

Liv drops something on the floor, the bang jerking Robert up from the sofa, and Aaron curses.

“Liv!”

“Sorry,” comes the thundering reply from above.

Robert’s shuffling around on the sofa, coughing as he does so, and Aaron grabs another glass of water. “M’cold.”

“I know,” Aaron says, resting the glass of water on the coffee table, crouching back down in front of the couch. “Liv’s staying home today. You want me to take you upstairs?”

There’s a pause, Robert’s breathing harsh and angry in the silence of the room. He’s not shivering as much anymore, the duvet doing its job, but Aaron still runs his fingers through Robert’s hair, thumb brushing his cheek.

“Want you here,” Robert says, fingers poking out of the duvet, curling around Aaron’s. “N’Liv. I’ll sleep.”

“Alright,” Aaron says softly, aware that his husband’s soft at heart.

Liv reappears in the doorway, duvet under one arm, Aaron’s phone and a couple of DVDs in the other.

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t take long to get settled;

The sofa is big enough for all three of them, bought deliberately for that reason, and Aaron manages to coax Robert into sitting up. He’s still buried in duvet, curled up in the middle, his pale skin still a concern. Aaron tries not to worry too much, knows Emma wouldn’t lie about the seriousness of it.

Liv’s banging around in the kitchen, grabbing food and drinks no doubt, and Aaron lets her, makes sure the doors on the latch so whoever’s dropping off the antibiotics later can get in.  

“Ready,” Liv says, keeping her voice low, even though she’s already made enough noise to wake the neighbourhood.

Aaron nods, thumbs through his phone, free hand on Robert’s head. Robert’s leaning into it, breathing less harsh, though his chest rattles occasionally. “I’m just gonna call Adam and Nicola. Put the movie in, alright?”

 

 

 

 

 

Work cancelled, and Liv’s school called, Aaron slips his phone into his hoodie pocket. Liv’s already settled, duvet around her shoulders and tucked around her knees. She’s pressed up against Robert, munching on crisps – not the healthiest of breakfasts, but Aaron’s never claimed to be a great parent. Aaron’s heart clenches painfully; he’s _happy_ , he realises, probably more so than he’s ever been. Robert’s sick, probably will be for days, and it’s the kind where Aaron’ll have to fight to get him to do anything, and Liv’s gonna be a pain as long as he’s off, but that doesn’t change how much Aaron loves them both.

“Alright,” he says, dropping down on Robert’s other side. As soon as he’s comfortable, Robert shuffles down, most of his weight settling against Aaron’s side, his face shoved into Aaron’s neck. Aaron puts his arm around Robert’s shoulders, waits until Robert’s breathing evens out, his eyes slip closed again, and gestures for Liv to get in too.

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head, attention on the TV.

(Eventually she’ll tip sideways, stretched out against Robert, her hand on Robert’s hip. She’ll fall asleep somewhere between the second and third movie, waking only when Aaron orders pizza.

Robert wakes up a little for that, takes a couple of bites out of one slice before falling asleep again, this time stretched out over Aaron, his head pillowed on Aaron’s chest.

Liv migrates to the floor, head resting against Robert’s knee, Robert’s hand slipping down to curl around her shoulder.)

Kissing the top of Robert’s head, fingers brushing through his hair, Aaron feels the last of his panic ebb away.

Robert’s safe, Liv’s mouth quirks up as the movie starts, and Aaron feels _happy_.


End file.
